For the last while I have been in Italy filming for my next RTÉ series with producer David Hare and Billy Keady and Ray de Brún on camera and sound. We have been working together a good few years now and it is a well-oiled machine. We visited so many interesting food producers and chefs. Every day there is new inspiration and I am really looking forward to seeing the completed programmes.
Having enjoyed your Easter dinner, here are some easy and speedy lunches. I always enjoy cream of tomato soup and it is worth making your own. This recipe is a great way to get excellent flavour using the best cans of whole, peeled Italian tomatoes that you can find. The cheese and bacon scones are ideal with this delicious, homemade tomato soup. The whole lunch can be made in less than half an hour.
Happy cooking.
Ten-minute cream of tomato soup
Serves four
2 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed oil1 large onion, finely chopped1 garlic clove, finely chopped2 x 400g (14oz) cans whole Italian peeled tomatoesGood pinch of sugar300ml (1/2 pint) chicken or vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)100ml (3 1/2fl oz) milk
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) creamSea salt and freshly ground black pepper1. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently sauté the onion for about five minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Crush in the cans of tomatoes using your hands and then season with salt and pepper and the sugar. Stir in the stock, cover with a lid and then simmer for five minutes until nicely bubbling. Stir in the milk and cream and blitz until smooth with a hand-blender. Reheat gently and ladle into bowls to serve.
Herby cheese and bacon scones
Makes eight
200g (7oz) bacon or pancetta cubes350g (12oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting1 tsp baking powder1 tsp English mustard powderLarge pinch of paprika (optional)Pinch of sea salt flakes75g (3oz) butter, well chilled and cut in to cubes200g (8oz) mature cheddar cheese, grated 15g (1/2oz) bunch of fresh chives, finely sliced or snipped1 heaped tbsp fresh thyme leaves185ml (6fl oz) buttermilk1 small egg beaten with a little buttermilk, to glaze1. Preheat the oven to 220oC (fan 200oC/425oF/gas mark seven) and lightly dust a large baking sheet with flour. Put the bacon or pancetta cubes in a small frying pan and cook them over a medium heat until they just start to turn crispy, then tip them on to some kitchen paper to drain.
2. Put the flour, baking powder, mustard powder, paprika, if using, and salt into a large bowl with the butter. Then pick bits of the mixture up in your hands and rub together before letting it fall back in to the bowl. Keep doing this over and over with all of the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Stir 150g (5oz) of the cheese into the butter and flour mixture with the chives, thyme and bacon or pancetta and then make a well in the centre of the mixture and add most of the buttermilk. Stir it all together with a round-bladed knife to make dough, which is soft and pillowly but not super sticky. As the liquid needed for the dough changes with the weather, you might not need to add all of the milk to the mixture. Just add most of it and see how you go before adding all of it, if necessary.
4. Put your hands in the bowl and bring the mixture together to form a ball. Then using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 3cm (1 ¼in) thickness (or you could just use your hands to pat the dough down).
5. Using an 8cm (3¼in) fluted square cutter stamp, cut out the scones or, of course, you could just use a knife to cut out square shapes. I like to put a little flour on the cutter first and then cut out the scone, making sure that I go straight down. Don’t twist the cutter at all or pull the dough with the knife otherwise you may get scones which do not have a nice straight rise.
6. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Scrunch up the dough trimmings and re-roll it to get another scone out of the mix, placing each scone on the prepared baking sheet as you go – you should get eight scones in total.
7. Brush the tops of the scones lightly with the egg glaze and then sprinkle over the remaining 50g of cheese. Place in the oven to cook for 10-12 minutes or until the scones are well risen, firm on the sides and a nice golden brown with the cheese bubbling on top. Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little before serving with lots of good butter.
For the last while I have been in Italy filming for my next RTÉ series with producer David Hare and Billy Keady and Ray de Brún on camera and sound. We have been working together a good few years now and it is a well-oiled machine. We visited so many interesting food producers and chefs. Every day there is new inspiration and I am really looking forward to seeing the completed programmes.
Having enjoyed your Easter dinner, here are some easy and speedy lunches. I always enjoy cream of tomato soup and it is worth making your own. This recipe is a great way to get excellent flavour using the best cans of whole, peeled Italian tomatoes that you can find. The cheese and bacon scones are ideal with this delicious, homemade tomato soup. The whole lunch can be made in less than half an hour.
Happy cooking.
Ten-minute cream of tomato soup
Serves four
2 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed oil1 large onion, finely chopped1 garlic clove, finely chopped2 x 400g (14oz) cans whole Italian peeled tomatoesGood pinch of sugar300ml (1/2 pint) chicken or vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)100ml (3 1/2fl oz) milk
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) creamSea salt and freshly ground black pepper1. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently sauté the onion for about five minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Crush in the cans of tomatoes using your hands and then season with salt and pepper and the sugar. Stir in the stock, cover with a lid and then simmer for five minutes until nicely bubbling. Stir in the milk and cream and blitz until smooth with a hand-blender. Reheat gently and ladle into bowls to serve.
Herby cheese and bacon scones
Makes eight
200g (7oz) bacon or pancetta cubes350g (12oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting1 tsp baking powder1 tsp English mustard powderLarge pinch of paprika (optional)Pinch of sea salt flakes75g (3oz) butter, well chilled and cut in to cubes200g (8oz) mature cheddar cheese, grated 15g (1/2oz) bunch of fresh chives, finely sliced or snipped1 heaped tbsp fresh thyme leaves185ml (6fl oz) buttermilk1 small egg beaten with a little buttermilk, to glaze1. Preheat the oven to 220oC (fan 200oC/425oF/gas mark seven) and lightly dust a large baking sheet with flour. Put the bacon or pancetta cubes in a small frying pan and cook them over a medium heat until they just start to turn crispy, then tip them on to some kitchen paper to drain.
2. Put the flour, baking powder, mustard powder, paprika, if using, and salt into a large bowl with the butter. Then pick bits of the mixture up in your hands and rub together before letting it fall back in to the bowl. Keep doing this over and over with all of the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Stir 150g (5oz) of the cheese into the butter and flour mixture with the chives, thyme and bacon or pancetta and then make a well in the centre of the mixture and add most of the buttermilk. Stir it all together with a round-bladed knife to make dough, which is soft and pillowly but not super sticky. As the liquid needed for the dough changes with the weather, you might not need to add all of the milk to the mixture. Just add most of it and see how you go before adding all of it, if necessary.
4. Put your hands in the bowl and bring the mixture together to form a ball. Then using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 3cm (1 ¼in) thickness (or you could just use your hands to pat the dough down).
5. Using an 8cm (3¼in) fluted square cutter stamp, cut out the scones or, of course, you could just use a knife to cut out square shapes. I like to put a little flour on the cutter first and then cut out the scone, making sure that I go straight down. Don’t twist the cutter at all or pull the dough with the knife otherwise you may get scones which do not have a nice straight rise.
6. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Scrunch up the dough trimmings and re-roll it to get another scone out of the mix, placing each scone on the prepared baking sheet as you go – you should get eight scones in total.
7. Brush the tops of the scones lightly with the egg glaze and then sprinkle over the remaining 50g of cheese. Place in the oven to cook for 10-12 minutes or until the scones are well risen, firm on the sides and a nice golden brown with the cheese bubbling on top. Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little before serving with lots of good butter.
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